Letters to the Editor - 10/27/2013

Editor: The Oct. 21 editorial, "City still can't justify commuter tax," is an eloquent synopsis of the fact that Scranton hosts a multitude of public services free of charge to all who live elsewhere, and come to Scranton to receive those services.

How refreshing it was to read further that "It is for the state government to mandate modern forms of government and taxation that fairly distribute the burden for services that serve everyone."

Today, Scranton is at the end of its economic rope. Rest assured that there is no alternative except to create a more equitable municipal structure that has every community pay its fair share for higher education, health care, state, county, and federal public services that benefit the entire Northeast Pennsylvania region.

EUGENE M. OGOZALEK

SCRANTON

Obstacle course

Editor: Regarding stories about the struggles of the Mall at Steamtown: We are all affected by the economy but the bigger picture may be the ongoing construction taking place around the city.

There is or recently has been construction on Interstate 81, Harrison Avenue and the Central Scranton Expressway. Also, there are the exhausting bridge repairs at the Spruce Street Complex, the West Linden Street bridge and the Taylor bridge on Main Avenue. We barely survived the finally finished cemetery bridge project on I-81 and the River Street bridge project.

This collectively makes it nearly impossible to get into the city from almost all accesses. Senior citizens are afraid to navigate the detours and working people can't be bothered to fight the traffic delays to go to Central City.

They find other places to shop, get comfortable there and may never return to town.

Give us a break, finish projects quickly and don't do them all at once, which has been the norm for the last few years.

ANGELA LAVETSKY

PITTSTON TWP.

Bridge progress

Editor: In August I held a town meeting to discuss the progress on the various bridge projects in our region.

There are projects, particularly in the city of Scranton, that have been languishing for a disgraceful period of time, some say as the result of political vendettas.

It was clear after this town meeting that we are all "mad as heck, and are not going to take this anymore."

As an example, the Rockwell Avenue bridge project started in 1996.

At that time the funding was approved and the federal government approved the project - yet it went from delay, to design, to redesign, to delay, to cancellation because the 10 years to use the funds had expired.

Today that project, thanks to the support of PennDOT, is on the road to completion and will now cost the city less. While there have been additional delays that will now cause the project to be put out to bid in midwinter, construction should start in early spring and be completed by the fall of 2014.

The Spruce Street complex traffic headache will be somewhat alleviated around the beginning of November when the lane into the downtown from Moosic Street will open.

The long-awaited Linden Street bridge project will finally be completed and open to traffic around Thanksgiving.

I pledged to push to get these projects done and I will not let up.

STATE REP. MARTY FLYNN

113TH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

SCRANTON

Beyond budgeting

Editor: I would like to express my thanks for the Oct. 17 critique of my Oct. 14 letter. I have some comments.

I do not just claim that the debt limit is unconstitutional; it is unconstitutional. How much clearer could it be than "The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, shall not be questioned"? Even at the 11th hour, 162 Republicans, including Sen. Pat Toomey and Rep. Tom Marino, voted to question our public debt.

I'm told I should be likewise outraged that Harry Reid stifled debate on the budget. First, I would need evidence beyond mere assertion that actually happened.

My critic chastises Democrats and especially Harry Reid for restricting debate and not passing a budget bill. On March 23, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., thanked chairman of the Senate Budget Committee Patty Murray, D-Wash., for conducting "an open and complete and full debate." Republicans then called for a bipartisan budget conference. Democrats agreed. By July 1, Republicans had blocked the conference they called for 15 times. Ten Republican senators called for an end to the budget obstruction by their own party.

We did not get into "this mess" for lack of a budget. Until recently, the biggest driver of the debt was the 2008 crash, simultaneously reducing revenue and increasing demands on the safety net. The fallout lingers. By 2019, over one-half of our deficit will be directly attributable to the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. Together with the economic downturn, the Bush tax cuts and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq explain virtually the entire deficit over the next 10 years.

WAYNE WARNER

CLARKS GREEN

Standing pat

Editor: Were it not for a 1939 dog bite, a 1946 football injury and a 2005 aorta explosion, my first 80 years would have been hospital-free, doctor-free and pill-free. This, despite my many meetings with those ne'er-go-near villains of the health-hugging crowd, John Barleycorn and Manny Marlborough.

I am unable to explain these "free" quirks of mine; maybe I willed them into my psyche or perhaps I just never learned how to get hospital-doctor-pill sick.

I've been hearing growls lately that because of recent actions taken by my servants in Washington, I must make changes to my health care habits. For the record, I absolutely refuse to do so.

As for those Washington clowns (Whoops, sorry Mr. Mendler, Your Opinion, Oct. 23), those Washington knuckleheads: Shame, shame, shame on you - your behavior has been appalling. Best you turn off the law-making machine and turn on the law-repealing machine.

JIM PIDGEON

JERMYN

Comic relief

Editor: Sunday comics musings: I miss Dick Tracy. Chester Gould, its creator, invented in his mind so many things that actually came to be.

The Lockhorns continue to be funny every week even though the story lines never change.

It's neat to see how Blondie has changed as we moved into the 21st century.

Has the person who decided to publish Bleeker the Rechargeable Dog been fired yet?

Warning to Pickles author Brian Crane. If you don't stop snooping around my home for your material, I well see you in court.

JIM WILSON

SCRANTON

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